The Tenth's Miracle ( 1-3 )

" He needed a miracle, he needed one so badly; the irony was that he did not believe in myths."

~ Prologue~

In another era, a man had just married a woman he loved only to discover that he had a deadly disease; leprosy.

He was the tenth leper in the Bible.

In the night, utterly devastated, he was forced to make the most painful decision ever, he was forced to accept his fate - he had to leave. It was the hardest thing he ever had to do~
And so it came to pass, the next morning, his young wife woke up to find the bed empty...
         

Welcome Readers, to this tale of grief and misery, woven out from the core of a Bible story. The journey begins with a man trying repeatedly to forget his soulmate, while she, strove to remember him. Both were in anguish, torment and hurt, knowing that only a miracle could restore them together.

~Chapter One~

          Zamon yawned in satisfaction, gazing at his young wife's sleeping form. After last night's activities, he was sure a baby would be on the way. He grinned at the thought, then still smiling, went to the small mirror in front of their bed.
          At once, colour drained from his tanned face as he stared at the image of himself in trepidation. Transfixed, he leaned forward in disbelief, staring at the mirror. Zamon was a handsome man. His well-toned body was tanned and muscular. If that was not enough, his flashing gray-green eyes and lazy smile was enough to make all the women swoon. With his dark hair unruly around his head, he had been considered the most rugged bachelor in his village until he was snagged by his wife a month ago. But now, Zamon was not thinking of his beautiful quiet wife.
He looked at himself, extremely worried. A frown creased at his forehead as he examined the large light-coloured patches that were scattered on his body. How had they become so big? Sweat coursed down his face in a rapid flow as he trembled at the negative thoughts poisoning his mind.
          He recalled the weeks where he had felt pain in his wrist and knees. They were tender and painful.
          His wife knew nothing about it. A sudden word came to his mind, piercing through his soul. Leprosy, Zamon cursed in horror, terror clawing at him.
         There had been nine lepers who lived miles away from their village on the border between Galilee and Samaria. They were outcast; people who had been cast away from their own village when they were found to be lepers. The symptoms were the same as his. Zamon's body started to shake as he realised the impossible. He had leprosy.
          Zamon gazed wildly around his modest one-room hut. He had built it for Deliah, whom he had  planned to spend eternity with. There was a mattress on the floor where Deliah lay sleeping. He stared at her beautiful form with tears in his eyes. Her reddish brown hair was splayed around her flawless face, a smile at the corner of her lips.
          Zamon raised a trembling hand to her face. Then he jerked it away. There must be a mistake.
          The patches had to be rashes, they could not be anything else! He was the village doctor after all. He should know. Zamon scanned the room desperately. Who was he kidding? He knew what it was. He had to leave Deliah. Deadly bacteria were already accumulating in his body. He shuddered in  revulsion at his own body.
          Zamon put on his shirt with shaking hands, sweat damping the white cotton shirt instantly. He had to leave Deliah. It was for her own good. He could not afford to pass the disease to her. A harsh pain tore into his guts as he realised that he had to leave everything. Deliah! He had just married her! A low cry erupted from the depths of his heart and was muffled in his sobs. There was no time. He had to leave without saying goodbye. Deliah must never know. No one must know. If the villagers knew, they would label her as an outcast just because she had lived with him. He peered out of the hole in the hut. Dawn was breaking. He had no time - no time to say goodbye...
          It was for the best. Zamon grabbed a long black cloak and some food that would last him for a month or so. He accessed the situation once again with grief throbbing in his head. Deliah must get over him and start a new life, with someone else - pain seared into his soul at that thought. He looked at her one last time, memorising her every feature. He memorised her compassionate brown eyes and her slim body. He stared at her for a long moment. He was making a memory. Then, it was done. Zamon drew a ragged breath and left the hut.

* * *

          Deliah opened her long lashed brown eyes sleepily.
          " Zamon?" she called softly, patting the dent in the mattress.
          Deliah turned and saw that the bed was empty.
          " Zamon!" she said a little louder, looking around the hut.
          It was empty. Deliah yawned again as she rose up. From the hustle and bustle outside, she could gather that it was already late in the morning. Her neighbors were early risers, the smile on her face dissipated as her concern for Zamon grew. Zamon had never left without telling her before. Deliah dressed hurriedly as a nagging feeling pecked at her. She could not place it but at the same time, she could not help but feel that something was wrong.
          Deliah opened the wooden door and walked out hurriedly, her eyes scanning the village and at the same time smiling tensely as some of the neighbors greeted her. The women were washing clothes and the men were laughing loudly as they made their way out of the village to hunt for food. Children were racing along the well-trodden path and Deliah almost bumped into them a few times.
          " Deliah! What's the rush?" a pleasant voice from behind startled her.
          She whirled around to find Jeuel, the Village Chief Hunter. His dark eyes were peered at her in concern.
          " Oh Jeuel! Have you seen my husband?" she said breathlessly.
          Her childhood friend looked at her curiously, his eyebrow arched. " Have you checked with the house of Job? His wife was called ill early this morning. Perhaps Doctor Zamon is there."
          Deliah sagged back in relief, " Oh, how stupid of me! Yes, yes, he should be there." Then it hit her, " Job's wife? Nashra's ill? Is it serious?"
          Jeuel shrugged, " I hope not. Why don't you go and see?"
          " Of course, thanks, Chief. Sorry to bother you."
          Jeuel smiled, " No problem. Well, I've got to go and work now. Goodbye."
          Deliah waved as he turned and led the other men out of the village. She frowned as the feeling came back. Something was wrong. What was it? Deliah sighed and made her way to Job's house.

* * *

          " Deliah!" Job greeted her roughly as she entered their home.
          Deliah widened her eyes in shock, " Wha-"
          " Where's your irresponsible husband? My wife is dying and -" he broke down and started weeping.
          Deliah was horrified at the tears in Job's eyes. Men never cried. It was unheard of. Sister Nashra must have really been in a critical condition. Helplessly, she comforted the man. As she soothed him with soft-spoken words, her heart was racked with worry as she wondered where her husband was. Then, when she saw Job's wife, all thoughts about Zamon fled away. Nashra was pale and coughs kept spasming out from her chest uncontrollably. Deliah winced and held her clammy hands. There was nothing she could do. Sister Nashra needed a miracle to stay alive. Unless Zamon came back, there would be no one else who had the ability to cure her.
          Deliah closed her eyes, not wanting to see her friend suffer anymore. Although the people in her village did not believe in a god, they did believe that there was a devil. She shook her head, letting her long reddish brown hair whip around her neck. There must be a God. Deliah opened her eyes. There must be! There were too much evil in this world. Yet, there were good that cancelled out the evil. For the first time in her life, Deliah began to pray on impulse.
          "Where the hell is Zamon!" Job's ragged voice startled her.
          Deliah raised her worried eyes to him, " I don't know either."

~Chapter Two~

          The subject of their conversation was at this very moment, miles away from the little village. Zamon tracked wearily out from the gloomy forest and glared at the landscape before him. A river was gurgling along the green grasses where spots of white and yellow were scattered. The beauty of nature had no place in his heart. Zamon turned away angrily, hating the world. In bitterness, he spat onto the ground, utterly disgusted. The devil was the cause of all these. But where was God when he needed one? Where is the Great Almighty; if there was one? Zamon cursed. He did not believe in God. He did not believe in miracles; which God knows was what he desperately needed, but miracles were myths and untrue.
          Zamon sank down tiredly. His bones were aching. Everywhere was hurting. But his heart was hurting most of all. It was screaming, yelling for his soulmate; the other part of him - Deliah. He missed her, he needed her so badly that he was trembling. Zamon closed his eyes and called to his mind the memory of his wife. Silky reddish brown hair, long lashed big brown eyes, full red lips, the feel of her soft body... Zamon's big shoulders were shaking in his grief.
          "Deliah-" He moaned silently.

* * *

          It was dark when Deliah trudged back to her house tiredly. It was a long day. The good news was that Sister Nashra had stopped coughing after her little prayer to an unknown God. Now was the long wait to see if she will recover. Deliah went home quietly, sure that Zamon would be back.
          “ He’d better have a good excuse to why he was not around,” Deliah thought grimly. This was the first time he had skirted away from his duty. She sighed as she opened the door.
          “ Zamon,” Deliah called again. There was no answer. She peered cautiously about the dark home. There was no one. It was then that she panicked. Deliah stumbled out of the hut, fear clogged in her throat. She rushed out to the Head Village Chief’s house. Chief Chileab opened the door in amazement.
          “ Deliah! What a pleasant surprise! Come on in!”
          Deliah shook her head miserably, “ Zamon is still not home! I think something has happened to him!”
          The Chief pondered on the situation, “ Are you sure that he did not run away with some other alluring woman?”
          Deliah stared at him.
          The Chief laughed suddenly, “ Stop looking so outraged. Now, how long has he been missing?”
          “ Since this morning,” she informed him frostily, “and Zamon has never been this way before.”
          Chief Chileab looked at her smugly, “ And you are sure that something terrible has happen to him? Do you recall him telling you where he was going?”
          Deliah shook her head again, worry for Zamon driving away her intense dislike for the Chief. “ If I do, I would have go and find him myself. Oh dear, something is dreadfully wrong,” she pressed her hand to her heart agitatedly, ignoring the Chief’s sceptically raised eyebrow. “ You’ve got to do something, Chief!”
          The Chief scanned the darkness behind her, “ It’s too dark to call the men to search. Besides, Zamon may turn up later in the night or by dawn. If he is still not back,” the Chief paused, “ then, we will call a search team.”
          Deliah thanked him and walked away restlessly, worry still filling her mind.
          Chileab gazed at the disappearing figure. “ That idiotic husband of hers has somehow always managed to disrupt my peace,” he muttered irritably.

* * *

          It was a dreary morning. As soon as the sun broke through the sky, it was overshadowed by the sudden rain. The sky lost its brightness and darkness blanketed the earth for a while. Deliah was drenched by the time she reached Chief Chileab’s house.
          “ Chief,” she called out desperately.
          The door opened slowly and Chileab’s head poked out reluctantly, “ Is that you, Deliah? I take it that Zamon is not back yet?”
          When he saw Deliah shaking her head miserably, he gave a long-suffering sigh and stepped out,“ I will ring the boys.” Then he added, “ But I must say, I still think it’s a waste of time.”
          Deliah whipped her head around, her eyes flashing in anger, “ How can you say such a thing? My husband is missing and may even be in danger!”
          The Chief shook his head, “ I doubt it.”
          Then seeing Deliah’s fired-up reaction, he sighed again and nodded, seeming eager to get rid of her suddenly. Deliah bit her lips at his rudeness, but controlled her anger for the sake of her husband.

* * *

          Zamon stumbled into a darkened cave to seek shelter from the cold rain. His fingers were stiff and he could only walk with a slight hobble. Shivering slightly, he drew the long cloak more tightly around him. He drew in a sharp breath when he heard some moaning. His green eyes scanned the area restlessly, searching for the source of noise. He had thought that he was alone. Holding his breath, he stooped to a low crouch as he crept towards the darkness. For a moment, it enveloped him, then, he was able to make out the shape of a man on the ground.
          “ Are you okay?” Zamon whispered and saw the man gave a jump.
          “ Who ...who are... you?” the man said with great difficulty.
          “ Who was that...” another voice said behind Zamon.
          “ I dis...tin..ctly heard someone...” whispered another.
          Zamon, in turn, jumped when he heard so many different voices croaking at once. He felt a sudden surge of joy at having someone to talk to after the many hours of bitter loneliness. He wanted to run towards them and embraced them. He wanted to talk to them, he wanted to befriend them. He wanted - Zamon stopped in horror when he remembered who he was. He jerked away and sprang away from the voices. He was a leper, an outcast, a misfit. He was dangerous to people. He must not go near them at all!
          “ I... I must go,” he said shakily as he prepared to leave the safety of the cave and face the storm.
          “ Go? Don’t be stupid. It’s pouring,”
          “ I...you see, I am a leper,” Zamon admitted, dreading the cold rejection they would give.
          There was silence.
          “ So are we. Welcome,” the person coughed vigorously, “ welcome to our world. There are nine of us.”
          Zamon widened his eyes in the dark. He had found his friends. They were the infamous nine lepers. Then he sank down to the floor. “ God help me,” he told himself miserably.

~Chapter 3~

          Mariah gazed up above from Deliah’s head forlornly. Deliah’s sobbing was heart wrenching as the soft sound blended together with the rain.
          “ Mariah, what am I to do?” she wailed.
          “ Hush child, don’t think about it,” Mariah soothed.
          Deliah shook her head in pain, “ It's just that I love him so much. I only hope to God that nothing has happened to him.” She grew quiet when Chief Chileab came into her hut.
          “ Deliah, I’m sorry -”
          Deliah stiffened at the tone of his voice, “ No, no, no! Don’t say it! Just earlier, you were doubtful that something had happened to him!” She flared up suddenly.
          The Chief shrugged, “ That was because I’ve had a hunch. I had thought that he went to the woods to find herbs, but he wasn’t there.”
          “ He is not dead!” she interrupted and swore fiercely, “ Don’t you dare to tell me otherwise!”
          “ We went as far as we could in this rain. We even searched way out of the village. There was no sign of him,” he said grimly.
          “ He was your doctor! He saved your life once! How could you do this to him?” Deliah went hysterical in Mariah’s arms as she pointed an accusatory finger at the Chief.
          “ What can I do? Damn it, at least I tried! You just have to accept it!” the Chief exploded. “ He is dead, face it Deliah, I did not believe it at first. But it sounds logical. Think about it. A man, for some reason, left the village in the middle of the night, leaving his newly wed wife. He even have the presence of mind to take his cloak and some personal items. We checked. Face it, Deliah. Zamon was not kidnapped or anything. Far from it. He left out of his own free will. That leaves us to draw two conclusions. One,” the Chief pointed on his thumb, “ Zamon left you.” Then he pointed on his index finger, “ Two, something went wrong with his plans. He is dead.”
          “ No! How could you say such a thing?” a pitiful heart cry burst out from the depths of Deliah’s throat.
          The Chief shook his head at her stubborn refusal to believe what he said and collided into Jeuel as he left the hut. “ See what you can do for Deliah. Poor girl, she’s really devastated about her man.”
          Jeuel gazed at the commotion, his dark eyes showing compassion. He nodded and went to relieve Mariah, who looked helpless.
          “ Deliah, listen to me,” he said calmly and slowly. “ Look at me. I will find your husband. He is not dead. So don’t you go fretting about it.”
          Deliah’s sobbing ceased slowly as she raised her luscious damp eyelashes at him. She believed him.
          “ The Chief said the opposite,” She said slowly as the haziness in her mind dissipated with the arrival of a fresh surge of anger. She stiffened and wiped her tears away, calling all her character into a resemblance of dignity. “ I’m sorry, you are right.”
          Then, slightly abashed, she apologised again to both Mariah and Jeuel, “ I am sorry. You are all so right. Zamon is alive and I will find him if no one will.”
          Jeuel raised his eyebrow admiring the sudden change in her behavior. She was a strong woman and would be able to pull out of this. Then her last sentence struck him and he felt a sudden urge to remind her something, “ Not so fast Deliah, I will go and look for him, not you. It’s too dangerous.”
          Deliah smiled suddenly, knowing that by intending to do what she planned, she will be defying all the principles the Chief has ever set for women. Her small smile lit her entire demeanor, a delightful contrast to her earlier unhappiness. “ We, will find my husband together.” She corrected firmly.

* * *

          The sun finally rose above the clouds, its rays filtering through the darkened shadows. Zamon opened his eyes blearily and was startled to see a man standing over him. The stranger’s toes were curled inwards as a result of nerve damage. Zamon raised his eyes slowly from the man’s wrinkled feet.
          “ Wha-” Zamon immediately was silent stricken as the man’s face peered into his.
          A chill shot into his bloodstream when he got a clear view of the man. Zamon could not control his shudder and looked away involuntarily. The man had no nose! Instead, hard nodules and folds of skin were formed on the face, giving him a lion-like appearance.
          “ It’s hideous, isn’t it?” the man said sadly, “ Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Banual. It’s been five years since I’ve discovered that I’ve leprosy.”
          Zamon stared in shock, then the cruel realisation digged into him and he knew that he was fated to be like the man. His wild eyes scanned the cave desperately and bile rose in his throat when he saw the other eight lepers. Most were on their backs, unable to walk. They were living skeletons with flesh hanging onto their bones. They looked even worst than Banual. At least Banual could still walk. A man turned and looked directly at the newcomer causing him to turn ashen. Zamon began to shake violently at the gruesome world he was about to enter in. He closed his eyes feeling sick. The man he was staring at earlier was blind and had many lumps on his face. His nose had collapsed too but it was not covered up by new layers of skin. Instead, Zamon was able to see the huge hole in the face. He felt really sick. In a sudden movement, Zamon covered his face and threw up.
          Zamon knew that he could not escape. Over the months, he would soon be like them. He would be branded as the tenth leper. It was the most painful realisation. He will never be a normal man. He was fated to become a monster.
Zamon closed his eyes in pain as a wave of yearning for his wife washed over him.
          “ Stop wallowing in self-pity. It’s no use. I have tried that before,” Banual said sharply. “ We have no purpose in life now. The people see us as outcast. We are on our own.”
          Zamon opened his eyes. He must stop thinking of Deliah. He must.
          “ To ensure our survival, we must be strong. I will teach you how to find food for the rest of us. The other eight are hopeless. Leprosy has gotten too deep into them. We are the young ones now. Together, we will survive as long as we can,” Banual’s voice softened.
          Zamon nodded tightly. Slowly, he got up onto his feet.

* * *

          Deliah stood in the middle of the villagers. Her hair was red in the sun and it tumbled in waves down her back. The women stared disapprovingly at Deliah while the men’s eyebrow were raised in disbelief.
          Deliah’s back was stiff and proud as she made her stand quietly, “ Zamon is my husband and I know that he is not dead. He needs me and I must go to him.”
          “ He needs you alive. He does not need another dead wife!” a man interrupted, agitated.
          “ You are out of your mind! Chief Chileab, you must not let this woman out of the village! No woman has ever venture out before!” a woman said spitefully.
          Deliah looked coolly at the woman who was glaring at her with gray eyes full of venom. “ Then again, dear Rossane, no woman’s husband has ever been missing before.”
          The woman was about to retort back when Jeuel intervened. “ Woman, I will be accompanying Deliah. As the Village Chief Hunter, I can safely say that you can be rest assured of her safety.”
          Chief Chileab glared at Jeual, then nodded tightly when Jeual met his gaze squarely. “ Against my better wishes, I will give my consent. I would love to send the men to accompany both of you on your journey, but the men are tired out and I wouldn’t want to send them out on a wild goose chase.”
          “ A wild goose chase?” Deliah bit her lips, looking at Chileab dangerously. “ You believed my husband to be dead, don’t you?”
          The Chief shrugged nonchalantly, “ Usually, when a man is not back within two days, we believed him to be dead.”
          “ Why you -” Deliah let out a cry and almost sprang at the Chief.
          The village women let out a shocked gasp and Jeuel grabbed her to restrain the wild cat from leaping onto the Chief.
          “ Please excuse her behavior. You must understand that Deliah is strung uptight after this ordeal,” he told the Chief hastily.
          The hot-tempered Chief glared at Deliah, “ What I don’t understand is her amateur behavior. Why can’t she act like a respectable young lady and accept that her husband is dead?”
          Deliah glared back at Chileab, her brown eyes flashing with intense dislike. She had to control the sudden urge to slap the Chief.
          Jeuel pulled her away hurriedly, half dragging her as he called back, “ We will be leaving mid-day, good day, Chief.”
          The crowd parted in silence, some appalled at Deliah’s rash behavior. The Chief watched in disgust for a moment. Then he turned to the person next to him.
          “ If the doctor is not back in three days time, prepare the funeral.”

© Shamane J.T, 2003


To proceed to the next few chapters...

The Tenth's Miracle ( 4-6 )  (ASR) Stripped bare from all that he held dear, he found himself in a nightmare... #706260 by loveshines